


blind luck

by 8BitSkeleton



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blind Date, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, F/F, M/M, Shyan Secret Santa 2019, Shyan Writing Events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:43:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21950170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8BitSkeleton/pseuds/8BitSkeleton
Summary: For some reason, Sara, Ryan's oldest friend, insists on setting him up on a blind date. The only problem is she doesn't tell him it's a date until he shows up to a restaurant and is faced with an awkward blind wine-and-dine.
Relationships: Kelsey Impicciche/Sara Rubin, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 9
Kudos: 146
Collections: Shyan Secret Santa 2019





	blind luck

**Author's Note:**

> this is a very merry present to my secret santa, [jones](https://kelseyimpicciche.tumblr.com/)! i hope you like it, friend-o! 
> 
> this is my first year in the secret santa and this was such a wonderful experience. it got all my creative juices running to the point that this started off as a very much longer concept which would have been about 9k longer!!! time constraints got to me and i reigned myself in (this time) but!!! all in all, i had a lot of fun with it and it really helped me channel all the christmas spirit in me. 
> 
> merry crimb!

The weekend before Christmas, Sara and Kelsey invite Ryan out to dinner together. This isn’t a new occurrence by any stretch of the imagination; the three of them often meet up for dinners, lunches, drinks, and anything in between. One of the perks of being Sara’s lifelong friend, he guesses, is that nothing really changes, even when Sara and Kelsey started dating almost three years ago now. He loves Sara, he really does, and he adores her even if they aren’t dating anymore. It had been a small thing, barely a few months long but they’d both agreed that it wasn't their path to take. They’d remained good friends and now Sara was happier with Kelsey than he’d ever seen her.

The few years they’d spent apart when Sara had moved up to Los Angeles before Ryan could scrounge up the money to hadn’t dimmed their friendship in the slightest. They’d picked up right where they left off and the past two months of hanging out while Ryan put his screen-dreams to practice had been some of the best of his life. 

So when they invite him out to dinner, he says yes without much fuss. 

He should’ve thought twice, honestly. He loves Sara but he forgot how much of a spitfire she could be. 

When he arrives at the restaurant, Sara is practically bouncing out of her chair and Kelsey, who Ryan recognizes as one of the better people Sara has dated (himself included), has a look on her face that makes Ryan instantly wary of the intentions of this night out. 

Even before he sits down, he already has his guard up, chin tilted up and eyes narrowed.

“What’s up?” He asks, already dreading whatever Sara has up her sleeve.

“Nothing!” Sara chirps. “We’re just having a nice dinner!” 

Ryan’s eyes flit over the place settings in front of them, noticing almost immediately that neither of them have menus, neither have drinks. 

“Uh… huh,” Ryan replies skeptically. 

“For the record,” Kelsey leans forward in the booth, looking Ryan in the eyes emphatically. “I thought this was a bad idea.”

“What’s a bad idea?”

A voice over Ryan’s shoulder startles him out of his worries and into deeper ones. He turns to look at the newcomer, taking in the tall man with curious eyes. Ryan’s waiting for the other shoe to drop until Sara speaks, crows out, “Shane!”

It’s then, that moment of acquaintanceship that speaks of Sara knowing this man which makes it all click into place. He remembers just last week, when Sara had, for the fifth time in recent memory, brought up her insistence on getting Ryan a date. She'd recently ratcheted up from soft hints to outright insisting due to the fact that she had claimed that _no one should be alone for the holidays._

It hadn’t been a _wrong statement_ , per se (Ryan sometimes feels a yearning when he sees Sara and Kelsey’s bliss) — but still, Ryan doesn’t feel comfortable interrupting his new job with dating. Which is why he’d declined with the excuse of _I don't have time for a relationship right now_ , to which Sara had cheerily and emphatically replied _That's bullshit_.

And so, here they stand now. Ryan slowly turns back to face Sara with a look on his face of bewilderment. Sara doesn’t even look at him, has all her attention focused on the newcomer she’d called Shane.

“Hey,” Shane says. “Sorry I’m late.”

“You’re right on time! Ryan basically just got here.” It’s now that Sara looks down at Ryan. She's smiling pleasantly, giving away no indication of her crimes against Ryan-kind.

“Kelsey,” Shane greets amicably. Ryan sees a smile bloom on Kelsey's face. 

“Hey Shane,” she replies, smile dimming slightly after her eyes skirt back to Ryan. 

There's a beat of awkward silence where Sara's smile turns pointed. “Hey, Ryan, scoot over.”

Though he's on the edge of grimacing, Ryan complies and moves further into the curve of the booth, allowing for Shane to fold himself into it. It's then that Ryan finally gets to take in Shane, who is all leg, apparently. The other man is wearing a nice button up, checkered red in a typical lumberjack fashion under a jean jacket. 

After he’s all settled in, Shane turns to Ryan and holds out his hand. “I’m Shane. It’s nice to meet you, Ryan. Sara’s told me a lot about you.”

Ryan may be shocked by this predicament but he isn’t any asshole. He grips Shane’s hand and shakes. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Shane.” 

Shane’s answering smile seems genuine as he gives it and it makes something in Ryan stir, feels himself smile back lopsidedly.

“Well!” Sara interrupts them, bringing Ryan crashing back down to reality. One where he’ll have to give Sara a stern talking to at the end of the night. “We’ll go ahead and leave you to it. Kels?”

Kelsey gives Ryan one last long look of understanding before Sara pulls her away and out of the booth. Ryan watches them go as Shane stands again and moves into the seat in front of him. He watches Sara and Kelsey walk away, whispering amongst themselves before settling into a table far enough away that Ryan can’t hear them. 

Before he can make eye contact with either of them again, Shane clears his throat conspicuously, beckoning Ryan’s attention. His eyes slip over to Shane, watching a sheepish look pass over his face before he speaks.

“Hey. Listen. I know we just met, but… I need you to be honest with me.” He gives a sort of embarrassed smile. “Did Sara tell you this would be a blind date?”

Ryan stops for a second, considers lying. But... that wouldn’t help anyone here. “No.” He sighs. “She didn’t.”

“Ah. Yeah, I was figuring.” Shane looks away, cheeks pinking up with the admittance. He looks back up as he continues, “Sorry about that. Hey, it's the holiday season — who wants to be meeting new people?” 

The smile tacked on at the end of his sentiment isn’t self-deprecating, a fact that surprises and endears Ryan. Shane’s likeable enough, which makes Ryan feel— 

“Sorry. Did I seem like I didn't wanna be here? That’s— Sorry. I didn’t mean to— it's not about _you—_ ”

“Eh,” Shane waves him off as if Ryan’s not apologizing for being rude. “Don't even worry about it. It’s not your fault at all. I’ve already adjusted my expectations, so we’re all fine.”

“Expectations?” Ryan’s surprised to hear a bold claim but he’s intrigued by it nonetheless. “From what to what?”

“From ‘a nice date’ to ‘making a new friend.’”

Despite their situation, Ryan finds himself smiling yet again. This could be worse, he thinks. “I’m okay with that.”

“Glad to hear it.” Shane smiles at Ryan before he leans forward on the table, folding his hands in front of him. “So, tell me, Ryan: what lights a fire in those eyes?”

* * *

Ryan spends the better part of their dinner talking about film. He's said before that if he could, he'd talk about movies and movie making for _hours_ — and here's his proof.

He also finds that Shane’s not been left behind on this topic. He contributes to the conversation easily and enthusiastically, as it seems that film is also one of his interests.

It soon becomes apparent to Ryan that Shane is a jokester. He bats back jokes impressively fast and it makes Ryan sit on the metaphorical edge of his seat to see what he's going to say next. It’s also apparent that Shane is an overall odd guy but it somehow makes him all the more charming. Ryan’s surprised to find that he likes Shane so far. Likes talking to him. Hearing his thoughts. 

Dinner goes by faster than he would’ve liked it to. 

As their waitress clears their plates of separate desserts and Ryan has to decline Shane’s offer to pay for his dinner again (“ _Separate_ checks, please.”), Ryan finds himself smiling easily at Shane. He was right in thinking this could be worse. He could’ve been paired up with someone who wasn’t so nice or so into movies.

They pay their checks separately and Ryan soon finds that he’s out of excuses to keep hanging around in this booth much longer. Before he can think about it too hard, Shane stands from his seat, patting his pockets for his belongings and Ryan finds himself following close behind. 

He knows he’s grasping at straws for excuses, his mind working overtime to stay around Shane much longer. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Sara’s eye. She’s sitting facing them and as she notices Ryan’s gaze, she smiles sweetly. Ryan barely has time to respond with a shake of his head before Shane interrupts, catching his attention once again.

“Hey,” Shane starts, “Do you mind if we walk around a little bit? I haven't had a chance to catch the Christmas decorations around here, yet.”

Ryan breathes an internal sigh of relief at the excuse. “You into Christmas decorations, too?”

“Yeah, actually. Where I’m from, they're a big thing. Huge, even.”

As they reach the door, Ryan makes a point to hold it open for Shane, and it shamefully occurs to Ryan that… he hasn't asked about Shane at all. They’ve been focused on _him_ all night and it’s been — well, it’s been nice. But he thinks it’s time to shift gears here. He falls into step next to Shane outside the restaurant and stuffs his hands into his pockets as he speaks.

“So... where _is_ that? Where you’re from, I mean.”

“Chicago,” Shane answers breezily. “Windy city. Aptly named, if I do say so myself.” 

“Long way from home, huh? So, how'd you meet Sara and Kelsey?”

“Oh, Kelsey and I dated a few years ago. College exes and all that.”

Ryan can’t help but be surprised at the statement. He holds back a laugh. “You're Kelsey’s ex?”

“Yeah, and now look at me. The first call for a blind date.”

“No, it’s— I’m Sara's ex.”

“Hey! Small world!”

Ryan can’t help his laugh now. Their predicament is ridiculous as it is hilarious and yet Ryan’s having a better time than he thought he would. He shakes his head just as Shane perks up.

“Oh!” Shane slows his walking speed. Ryan has to catch himself before he passes him, and he follows Shane’s eye across the street. “Look at that.”

The window display Shane is ogling does seem very impressive, even to Ryan, who is, at best, a casual fan of ornaments. He steps up to the curb and looks both ways before beckoning Shane to follow him across the street. As they jog up to the store, Shane’s eyes light up. The sight makes Ryan smile and he decides to look closer at the lights, see what Shane sees in them.

“A reds and greens guy, huh?” Ryan asks. “Classic.”

“What can I say? The classics just hit better.”

Ryan looks back up to Shane, who has a dreamy smile on his face.

“C’mon,” Ryan bumps his shoulder into Shane’s arm. “If you want classics, I got a place for you.”

“O-ho! Ryan’s got some Dee-Tee-El-Ay secrets tucked away!”

“No one even _says_ it like that,” Ryan looks away as a smile overtakes his face. “Follow me if you wanna be in the ‘Dee-Tee’ know.”

“Apparently, _we_ say it like that.”

Ryan will deny the thrill that runs up his spine at the mention of ‘we’ until the day he dies.

* * *

The so-called secret is only a block away but Shane slows down a few times to take in the decorations in different store windows so their five minute walk turns into fifteen minutes and Ryan doesn’t find it so bad when he gets to see Shane smile that dreamy smile time after time. 

As they round the corner, Ryan feels himself perking up. This isn't really a secret but Shane obviously hasn't been down here much, so this whole area feels like it's Ryan's secret to give away. Of course, it helps that he lives not two blocks away from where they're wandering. Gives him a slight home turf advantage.

He nods them forward, spotting the toy store he's eager to show Shane.

“Oh.” Shane’s breath leaves in a rush and comes back in just as quick as they approach. “Oh. _Oh,_ look at _that_.”

They stop in front of the now closed shop. Ryan watches as Shane takes in the sight in front of him, eyes widening with awe at the lit-up display. Ryan remembers walking by on his way to the coffee shop down the street, watching them set up the woven pine branches as the holidays approached, and being impressed by their formation into a star highlighted with lights and ornaments. More than that, he was impressed that they’d put it outside their shop, a good six feet up, right over their entrance. To Ryan, it had seemed a mile way, but with Shane here, the branches seem like they can barely brush his head. Goddamn, Shane is _tall._

“So, what’s the final rating on your scale?” Ryan’s smile widens as he watches Shane take it all in. 

“A ten. A definite ten, baby! This is gold, this is peak decorating right here.” Shane's eyes flit back to Ryan and as they connect, Ryan feels himself softening around the edges. This night started out like nothing he ever expected and yet, here he is, having a great— date? Can he even still call it a date? On principle, he'd never admit to it because he wouldn't want to see Sara's self satisfied smile, but… this is definitely one of the better dates he's ever been on. In the top five at least.

The moment between them passes slowly. Shane's the first to look away and back to the ornament. Ryan's eyes linger for a second, watching as Shane lifts a hand and retracts it, as if thinking twice. 

“Do you think I can… touch it? Is it real pine?” The question pairs with Shane's fingers opening and closing, itching to reach out. 

Ryan shrugs. “No idea. I say go ahead and check. I’m not a snitch.”

“Good man. I don’t trust snitches so this is a good test.” Shane’s hand finally reaches up. He runs his fingers over the intricate branches of the star and delicately over the small lights at the end. 

Ryan glances around quickly, an apparent accomplice on this adventure turned civil disobedience. 

“Oops.”

He snaps his gaze back to Shane, whose wonder has been stamped out by embarrassed shock.

“What?”

“Well,” Shane’s hand lowers from the branches, a piece of the decoration coming with him as he does. “So, it's pine. And it seems there’s other assorted loose leaves in there.”

“You broke it.”

“No, I didn’t—!”

Ryan’s laughter wheezes out of him so hard he bends at the waist with it. “You broke—!”

“Yuck it up, why don’t you?”

His laughter peters out as Shane finally opens his hand, sharing the secret between them. The sight makes Ryan shake his head, laughter bubbling up again. 

“Mistletoe?”

“This is a toy store. Are they expecting the kids to kiss?”

“I don’t think kids know what mistletoe is.”

“Keep telling yourself that. I’m pretty sure cable TV teaches them about every intricate Christmas ritual.”

“Jesus, how many intricate rituals are you keeping track of?”

“At least fifteen, at the current moment.”

“That’s an impressive list.”

“Thank you. Can we go now? I don’t want to get arrested.”

“Grand larceny of holiday kissing plants.”

“I think that gets you five to ten in the clink.”

“Come on, Matlock.”

He watches as Shane pockets the leaves and looks around as if police were actually going to storm his location looking for stolen mistletoe. Ryan resists rolling his eyes and instead grabs Shane’s sleeve, tugging him along and around the block. 

* * *

As Ryan soon realizes, all good things must end, so he finds himself circling closer to home with each lap around the block. All nearby decorations have been shown off and ogled, the shops around them begin to close. He admits that he lives close by, a fact Shane takes in stride before offering to walk him home. Ryan accepts with a small smile.

They approach Ryan's building without much fanfare. Ryan digs into his pocket for his keys before slowing down his pace, prolonging their time together. 

“So, this one’s me,” he points to the building only a few steps from them. 

“Hmm, looks cozy!” Shane regards the apartment building, stopping with Ryan in front of it. “Glad I don’t have to ask you to text me when you’re home safe. Unless your elevator is the most dangerous one in existence.”

“I think I can handle myself from here.” Despite his words, he's still slow to turn and walk up to his door. Shane follows close behind as he opens the heavy front door to the lobby and lingers in it for a second.

“So… goodnight,” He brings himself to say.

Shane's answering smile is warm. “Night, Ryan. Thanks. I had a lot of fun.”

“I did, too. It was— not what I was expecting.” He curses himself for bringing that up but Shane barely bats an eye at it.

“Yeah, sorry about that again. I’ll talk to Sara.”

“No,” Ryan assures. “I can do it. I’ve known her longer, I can deal with her.”

“Phew, okay. I don't wanna say I dodged a bullet but —”

“Oh, you owe me one. Definitely.”

There's a beat of comfortable silence between them where Ryan wants to say _more_ but finds himself falling just short of it. He settles into the idea that the night is ending, for now.

“Night,” He says softly.

“Happy holidays.” Shane smiles at him as he goes inside, letting the door close behind him.

Now alone, he exhales long and slow. It's been an unexpected night, but one no less great. He smiles to himself and before he can turn to the elevator, there’s a knock on the door. He turns, heart pounding.

“Yeah?” He calls. He’s banking on it being Shane but he can’t ever be too sure in L.A.

Sure enough, it’s Shane’s voice calling out, “Hey, I, uh, forgot something.”

Ryan’s heart beats faster at the phrasing. He opens the door without hesitation. 

On the other side, stands Shane, all six feet of him on Ryan’s doorstep, holding his hand above Ryan. From it hangs the broken off piece of mistletoe.

“Forgive me if I’m making an ass of myself, here, but—”

“No,” Ryan interrupts. “You aren’t.”

And it's Ryan who leans forward, standing on the tips of his toes as he closes the distance between them. Shane drops his hands down to Ryan's waist bringing them flush together as their lips connect. It's tentative at first, a simple brush of lips as they figure each other out. Ryan presses in closer, deepening the kiss and making Shane exhale slow against him. They stay there, locked in an embrace for another moment before Shane pulls away with a smile. Ryan smiles up at him and settles back down, hands dropping from where they'd landed on Shane's neck.

They slowly extricate themselves in between smiles. Shane huffs out a laugh, “I can't believe I just used mistletoe on you. And it _worked_.”

“Yuck it up,” Ryan echoes back his words from earlier. “Are you complaining?”

“Nah. The opposite, really.”

Ryan steps back, leaning against the door. “You're welcome for reciprocating your cheesiness.”

“That's all I ask for.”

“Now, go home, Sasquatch.”

“O-ho! With the insults already!”

“Get used to it.”

Shane seems like he's considering for a second before he nods. “I can deal with it.” He turns, taking a few steps before he throws a smile over his shoulder. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Ryan toys with his keys for the second time tonight, watching him go. “Text me when you get home safe.”

“Yep!” Shane doesn't look back this time.

The moment Ryan gets inside, there's yet another knock at the door. He thinks, somewhat illogically, that there’s a fifty percent chance it’s a serial killer looking for an easy target. Still, it's the other fifty that makes him open his door to be greeted by Shane once again.

“So,” Shane starts, phone in hand. “I never gave you my number.”

Ryan wheezes out a laugh so hard that he bends at the waist with it.

**Author's Note:**

> [tmblr](https://ghovlboys.tumblr.com/) ❤️


End file.
